Hey Hey! Sorry about interuppting I'm Thankful week but I've seen camera questions flying around on facebook so I thought we could help a bit!

Are you getting ready for Black Friday? For me, there is nothing on this earth worth going out for before noon on Friday. Its crazy. And don't even get me started on this whole shopping on Thanksgiving thing. Thats just me though.

If you are thinking about braving the crowds to get a new camera, I know it is an awesome time to get one. But uh, what the heck do you even look for? I thought I would ask my personal photographer and camera expert to help you guys out with some choices and kind of give you an idea of what to look for. I also asked my personal photography teacher to give something away. So read what the man has to say cuz he really knows his stuff. Then I'll check back in at the end with the giveaway details. Cool. And if you have any questions feel free to ask away in the comments.

I usually answer with a few questions of my own to try and help qualify the end use. How do you see yourself using this camera? Kids in soccer? Shooting lots of indoor recitals or plays? Looking to get the next lolcat cover shot? Do you want to shoot video with it? Do you want to haul around a big DSLR and multiple lenses?

With so many great products out there it can be intimidating to decipher the lingo and figure out which camera will best suite your needs.Here's a few tips on what to look for when perusing the camera section of your local shop in the next few weeks.

Megapixels are great, but not all their cracked up to be. Camera manufactures love to tout how many each model has, but 6mp will give you a great 8x10 print. So don't let that be the deciding factor when looking for a new camera. In fact, having too many can actually make your images look worse. Cramming too many on a sensor can introduce noise (grain) and rob clarity from your pictures.

For low light and indoor photography you want a fast lens. Whether that is a fixed lens or an interchangeable, the larger the aperture the better chance of sharp photos. The lens on most cameras will have focal length and aperture in white letters. Look for the smallest number (which equals the largest aperture). For instance if one camera has a lens that is a 2.8 and another has a lens that is a 2.0, grab the 2.0.

Sports shooters will want to look for something with a large optical zoom and image stabilization or vibration reduction. Digital zoom=fuzzy pics, so you can ignore those stats as it is a pretty useless feature. Having a larger screen on the back of the camera can be a bonus for reviewing images in bright sun.

Tired of reading already? Ok here are my recommendations based off of years and years of research, scientific study and my personal affinity for Nikon. (not really, but here you go!)

Best camera under $150

Canon Powershot A330

Comes in fancy colors!

Best camera to take on an adventure

Olympus Stylus Tough 800

Water, sand and life proof.

Best superzoom

Fujifilm HS10

30x optical zoom,10mp and 3 inch tilting screen

Best entry level DSLR

Canon Rebel T3i/600D

Nikon D5100

Best advanced DSLR under $1500

Nikon D7000

So whats in my camera bag?

Nikon D300

Nikon D7000

Nikon 70-200mm 2.8

Nikon 16-85mm 3.5

Nikon 35mm 1.8

Nikon 50mm 1.4

Nikon 85mm 1.8

Nikon 105 2.8

3 flashes

Radio remotes

In the end, the best camera is the one you have with you...be it an Iphone, a DSLR or a pinhole. Happy holidays and have fun shooting with your new camera!

+++

Thanks D. Ok. So did that help at all? I hope so. Now here's the deal. Once you get your camera you are going to look at it and say UH......WTF STOP. {haha thats some camera humor I though Darin might like!} Anyways, your fancy new camera won't do you any good unless you know how to use it. So I bribed Darin in to giving away a slot in his upcoming Intro To Photography class. This class will teach you what all those crazy things like ISO and aperture even mean. You will learn how to shoot in {ACK! JUST BREATHE!} manual mode by the time its done.

Hi, my name is Mel & I blog at The Larson Lingo.I am wife to Kevin & mom to Kate & Claire.When Jenn asked to share during "I'm Thankful" week, I jumped at the opportunity to share what I am Thankful for. Hands down, I am Thankful for Family.Over the year, I have realized how important our Family is.I am a part time middle school teacher & I am blessed with my mom who watches my girls 3 days a week and my mother-in-law who watches the girls 2 days a week while I am at school.I am Thankful that my girls get to see both Grandmas on a regular basis.I am so thankful they are willing to watch the girls while I teach.I don't know what I would do without their help!This past month, the importance of Family has really been on my heart & mind because a few weeks ago, my Grandma turned 100. She is truly the matriarch of our Family and so many of the traditions and values she started with my mom have trickled down to me and may girls.Grammy is the one who always says that Family is the most important thing and she lives that out in her life, even at 100 years old.I wanted to share a recipe that is from my Grammy that we make every Thanksgiving morning (we make it Christmas morning and through out the year also, because it is so yummy!I have fond childhood memories of eating Monkey Bread at Grammy's house whenever we would go visit her.Monkey BreadThe ingredients:4 packages of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits

Mmmmm....look at the yummy-ness!To eat, just pull apart pieces of the monkey bread & enjoy the gooey-goodness!Now, go to the store so you can make some of your own monkey bread for your family this Thanksgiving!************************************And, because I love numbers (I am a math teacher) and I love Families, I am going to give away one of my "Important Dates Prints" to one lucky reader!{The important dates print can be found in my Etsy shop}What I love about the important dates print is that it all the dates that surround you becoming a family...you & your spouses birth-dates, wedding anniversary & your children's birth-dates.(Colors can be customized & the print can have from 4 to 7 dates on it)It is great baby present or Christmas present.Give one to grandparents with all their grand-children's birth-dates.It is an 8x10 digital file that will be customized to your liking.I printed mine out at home (or, you can print it at a photo lab) I have mine hung in a matted frame.*******************************Thanks for letting me be a part of I'm Thankful week & I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving reflecting all that you are Thankful for!

Be sure to leave a comment to win one of Mel's awesome important dates prints!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Happy Saturday friends! We have had a cold and snowy day which makes me want to cuddle up next to the fire and read a book. The craft fair was a success but I'm so glad its over! Tonight I have the super rad Nicole from Simple Organic over to tell us what she is most thankful for. Just try not to be jealous that she gets to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the beach.

It's a real honor to be here on Ruffled Sunshine today; thanks, Jenn for having me!
When I contemplated what I could write about in regards to being thankful, it was hard to pin something down because really, I feel so blessed in so many ways.

I thought about how thankful I am for family traditions... as today we're packing and preparing to drive {10 minutes away} tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving week at the beach like we do every year.

Then I thought about my little family and how over-the-moon thankful I am for the journey God has brought my husband and me on over the last eight and a half years.

Even on the hard days I'm thankful for the treasures that have been entrusted to me.
But these are things I'm thankful for every year, and there is something more specific I could mention this year.

circa 2007I'm thankful for my mom.
She has poured into my brother and me (and our families) so much over the years. She taught me, by example, how to make a house into a home and how to use my creativity in various ways (she even made my wedding dress!). She encourages me in all my dreams and aspirations. She helps me with my kids when I feeling overwhelmed.

I'm thankful for my mom for a lot of reasons that I'm sure many of you share as you think of your mom. She and I had some rocky years when I was growing up (as many mothers and daughters do), but this summer it hit me how close we had become.
But this past summer, she was very sick and spent a couple of weeks in the hospital in ICU, and then several more weeks laid up at home.
The more I thought about it-- especially as I thought about the awful possibility of her not being around anymore-- the more I realized the reality...
that she had become one of my best friends.

After all, she's the one to whom I text or call just to say hi , or tell a funny story about the kids, or say, let's watch a chick flic and do some sewing.
And now that she's healthy again and we're back in our groove of regular life, I want to take a minute this Thanksgiving to say how thankful I am to have her in

Friday, November 18, 2011

Hi guys! I just wanted to pop in and tell you I'll be at that craft fair again tomorrow. So if you are in the area I'd love for you to stop by. It is the My Favorite Things Bazaar at the Columbia Community Church in Richland. It is from 9-4 and the address is150 Gage Boulevard • Richland, Washington 99352